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"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Game 60 Isles 3, Carolina 0 Thomas Greiss made 45 saves for his 8th career shutout as the Islander...

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Stat Trick: Carolina 4, Isles 3

The Islanders re-wrote the record books, but in the end a goal set up by a Sutter at 7:11 proved to be the difference. On to the trick:

1. Shots. Lots of shots. 60 officially -- smashing the Islander club record of 54, set on 1/1/94 vs Hartford and equaled on 3/17/04 in Florida. (By the way, they lost both of those games also, including 4-3 to the Whalers). The 60 shots are the most the Hurricane franchise has ever allowed.

2. Rick DiPietro left with an apparent injury after the first period. He's allowed 9 goals in 7 periods of work this season (3.86 GAA) and has allowed 6 goals in three first periods in that stretch.

3. The Isles have allowed the first goal 4 times, losing all 4 and have trailed after two periods in all five of their losses.

and a few more:

4. Doug Weight was stopped on a penalty shot in the game's final second (0.7 seconds remained) It's the second failed Islander penalty shot of the season-Okposo was stopped on opening night in New Jersey. The Isles have now scored on only 11 of the 41 penalty shots in their history, including 1 of their last 15.

5. Cam Ward obliterated his career high in saves, stopping 57 shots. (Previous high was 42) He has stopped 5 of 7 career penalty shots. He is now 6-2 in his career against the Isles. Ward btw was born on Feburary 29, 1984--the day Flatley and LaFontaine debuted for the then Stanley Cup champion Islanders.

6. Bill Guerin led the Isles with 10 shots on goal. Every Isle except Bruno Gervais had at least one.

7. The Isles' record drops to 2-5. Four points is their worst 7-game start since going 1-4-2 to open the 1996-97 season. The Isles are 1-3 at home, equaling the fewest points in their first four home games. If the Isles lose in regulation on Monday, it will be their worst home start since the 1989-90 season.

8. Here's hoping that Brandon Sutter is okay, after absorbing a clean open-ice hit from Doug Weight in the third period.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick. Eric has worked the Stanley Cup Finals four times, and celebrated his 26th anniversary as the statistician on Islander home telecasts on January 21, 2008.